Funding, Policy & Jobs Update from ERSA
ERSA (The Employment Related Services Association)’s latest newsletter included the following Funding, Policy & Jobs Update:
Youth Guarantee
The DWP announced this week (6th December) further details of the Youth Guarantee. The £820 million funding package will will create 350,000 new workplace opportunities designed to support young people into employment. Additionally, the Department revealed that “hundreds of thousands more young people on Universal Credit to benefit from dedicated support” and a “guaranteed jobs scheme to roll out in areas with some of the highest need from Spring 2026”.
You can read the full press release here.
National Youth Strategy
The government published their National Youth Strategy this week. The government is committing over £500 million of new funding, which will deliver up to 250 new or refurbished youth centres, 50 Young Futures Hubs, and new support for youth workers.
Under “Action 5: Good work”, the strategy includes measures on:
“Providing better education, guidance, training, and support for young people to get a great job. This includes:
delivering a broad, ambitious, and inclusive curriculum so every young person can develop the knowledge, skills, and attributes needed to thrive throughout life
investing £15 million to expand our attendance mentoring programme
raising the bar on careers education and introducing two weeks of work experience for every young person across the course of their secondary education
simplifying and enhancing the post-16 qualification landscape in England so that it is easier for young people to find the right training and opportunities
investing £820 million over the next 3 years to deliver an expanded Youth Guarantee across Great Britain, supporting every 16 to 24 year-old into learning, jobs, or apprenticeships with tailored help, expanded opportunities, over 360 employment Youth Hubs, and guaranteed paid work for 18 to 21 year-olds on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months
spending £187 million over 4 years to prepare people for careers across the digital and tech sectors, bringing digital skills and AI learning into classrooms and communities through the TechFirst programme”
You can read the press release here and the full strategy here.
DWP Press Release: “50,000 more young people to benefit from apprenticeships as Government unveils new skills reforms to get Britain working”
“The £725 million package of reforms to the apprenticeship system will help to tackle youth unemployment and drive economic growth, with thousands more young people expected to benefit over the next three years.
The latest funding includes a £140 million for a pilot where Mayors will be able to connect young people – especially those not in education, employment or training (NEET) with thousands of apprenticeship opportunities at local employers.”
Read the full press release here.